To me, the most important aspect of the development of the Ulster Scots identity is that it would take (unionism) out of the internationally damaging context of religious division, into one which is not only understandable, but is even fashionably in harmony with the zeitgeist of todays European Union.

That strikes me as a hard sell in a space where most political parties, nationalist as well as unionist are pretty Eurosceptic… In fact the only party of the ‘big four’ that is in anyway Euro-friendly doesn’t look like it’s going to get a seat… yet the book does sound like a rattling good yarn for those of us just old enough to remember politics before 1972…

Mick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty